I think there would be a market for a home harvester.
Here is a web site that has one for sale
http://www.wackyworldsof.com/harvester/
Rick

in our society there is a market for anything, the real question is does anyone w/ a home worm bin actually need such an item? the answer is no, but you may be able to find enough who think they do that you might cover your expenses :)

Bill

I would say - maybe. For the home user they probably don't have enough material to justify it, but some people end up with several bins. I would expect that there is a small cross section of worm bin people who have enough material to process that they would be greatly assited by a harvester. For instance I have a 30 gal bin, when I harvested that thing there was a lot of material to sift through. A harvester would have made the whole job much easier and faster.

The problem I see is that for a home user to justify it the harvester would need to be fairly economical. Much cheaper then some of the harvesters I have seen advertised. I have seen some out there that are sized for a smaller operation, but the cost is too much for the hobbist. An economical harvester would be great in that it would probably make worm composting more accessable to people with more limited physical ability. I mean the bin I use is freakin heavy when it is full of stuff to be harvested. If I had a harvester I could sit there and just feed scoops at a time through the harvester, rather then having to turn my bin over and empty it.

Bottom line - Yes, maybe, but it would have to be more economical the current options available.

Kat

My dad had a small worm farm years ago and made one, he saw a picture of one and made it, I have no idea how he did it, but it was rather large, but worked great for separating.

I have a question. Would a minnow trap work as a harvester?

Carey

I like this drum harvesting idea. My bin is a full sized bathtub and it takes hours every spring to go through a harvest (which it is just about time for) How about selling the plans for one rather than the actual item?? Also, what does a minnow trap look like Brighteyes? And where would I get one if I thought it might work somehow?

A minnow trap is just a wire cylinder with a wire cone on each end. A harvester would be about the same thing but with bigger holes in the wire. You can just wrap wire around a couple of 5 gal. buckets with the bottoms cut out and have the same thing then turn it by hand while it lays in a cradle made to fit the curve of it and the castings fall out and the worms stay in it.

Here is a link that might be useful: minnow trap

I just built a sifter for about $16. I used 1/8"hardware cloth (I think that's what it's called), wire, two bucket lids, just under 10' of PVC pipe and a handful of PVC joints.

jarett,

Any pics?

Here are a couple pictures. It's nothing fancy but has some potential for future upgrades (maybe a small motor...)

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I've been using one of those green plastic baskets that you buy strawberries, raspberries, etc in.

I'd love to find something that didn't take me an afternoon to harvest one bin but it would have to be quite compact as I live in an apartment, and very reasonably priced, i.e. $20-40, and much faster than the process I currently use.

SC

jarett - thanks for showing the pics! You know that just gave me more questions though!

How did you attach the screen to the lids. In a pic or two it almost looks like there are screws in the lids. But I'm assuming some sort of glue?

Also on the rotational part - Do the lids just spin on the pvc? What did you use to go through the lids?

Thanks jarett - I think I may give that a try in the spring.

I would think this type of thing would be easy to sell to an older market. Those who don't have all the mobility, and would want anything to make the job easier to do. My grandmother has always had a garden, at one time her and my grandfather had a farm. She is in her late 70's and still likes to do what gardening she can. She is also really interested in my worm farm, and I've offered to give her a small bin set up when I have enough worms. Being able to give her something to help her harvest would just be a bigger plus.

I have seen this same idea but the center support rod rests in groves cut in the top rim of a extra large tote so when you spin it the castings fall into the bin, I am going to try using a 5 gal bucket and keeping the top and bottom intact so the lids naps on and off easier.Ill just cut the bucket 2 inches from the top and bottom and mount the hardware screen to those 2 pieces and with the bucket rim intact the one end will have a snap off lid. wish me luck

I would definitely be interested in one of those. I just started vermicomposting about 5 months ago and it is something that I will be doing for a long time. I really enjoy it, and love the fact that it uses garbage and is so great for my plants. I have an inside bin at this time.
Janet

I have a 16 ft worm and castings harvester, 3 ft in diameter for sale, on wheels to go anywhere. price $400, originally sold for $3000. located in KY.

Looks to me like there might be a small market for it, but many would be happier to have good instructions to build their own as they look simple enough, but it's always good to have someone work out the bugs first.
Maybe you could think about working out any issues you find with your model and then selling your plans on how to build one & see how that goes. Ebay's always a good place to start & you could do it all electronically. You could also set up a website if you wanted and link your ebay auctions to your website like many do to try and promote your website. This might be especially good if you market other worm or environmental products. Just an idea.